Saliva ejector



D. S. BERGER SALIVA EJECTOR April 24, 1956 Filed Aug. 18. 1954 IINVENTOR- Darual SB av times, while in use.

United States Patent SALIVA' nrncron Daniel S. Berger, Chicago, 111.Application August 18, 1954, Serial No. 450,669

1 Claim. 01. 32-33 The invention relates to improvements in salivaejectors and more particularly to a novelly constructed saliva ejectorembodying structural features that will insure that the ejector tubeinlet is immersed in saliva or water at all As is well known, a salivaejectoris placed in the'mouth of. a patient to withdraw saliva as wellas water used for cooling a drilled area or for washing. Known types of.saliva ejectors are of the kind that permits air to enter the ejectortube along with the saliva. Such a structure is not entirely efficientbecause the withdrawal of air fails to prevent foreign matter or tissueof the mouth from clogging the exhaust openings. It also allows forabuild-up of an excessive amount of saliva or water before exhaust offurther excesses is obtained. I

In order to be most effective, the saliva ejector must incorporate astructural design that will insure that the ejector inlet is covered atall times with saliva or water, and that the area immediatelysurrounding the ejector inlet is maintained under atmospheric pressure.This will prevent the drawing off of air as in previous devices, andmore important, the maintenance of uniform atmospheric pressure withinthe mouth prevents mouth tissue from being drawn against the inlet portswithwhich the ejector is provided. When this occurs the ejectionof-saliva or water is wholly or partially prevented. It is therefore anobject of the invention to provide such a novel saliva ejector.

Another object of the invention is to provide asaliva ejector with anovelly constructed cap or suction head.

Another object of the invention is to provide asaliva ejector with novelstructural features adapting said ejector to low cost manufacturing,maximum utility, extremely satisfactory use and adaptability, and easyassembly and disassembly for cleaning.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention, which will becomeapparent as the description'proceeds, will be more fully understood froma perusal of the following description in which reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, wherein: i v

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the saliva ejector embodying thefeatures of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal central sectional view of the headportion of the ejector, illustrating diagrammatically, its relationshipto a mouth.

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of the head.

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view taken on line 44 of Fig. 2. c

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view taken, on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, the saliva ejector includesan exhaust tube 11 bent, as indicated in Fig. 1, to provide an inletend, as at 12, and an outlet end, as at 13. The latter is connected bymeans of flexible tubing 14 to an aspirator or other suitable means forcreating a suction in the tube 11.

The inlet end 12 of the tube 11 is open and it is fitted, inwardly ofsaid end, with an externally threaded fitting 15. As is perhaps bestillustrated in Figs. 2 and 5, the fitting 15 is brazed or otherwisesecured firmly to the tubing and its inside diameter has a plurality ofshallow circumferentially spaced grooves or channels 17 extendinglongitudinally of its length. These grooves 17 define passages for airas will be better understood as the description proceeds.

A cup-like cap 18 is threaded onto the fitting 15 a distance to locateits end wall 19 in close proximity to but spaced from the open end ofthe tube portion 12. The

end wall 19 of the cap 18 is formed with a pair of openings 20 and itscircumferential wall has two sets of circumferentially spaced openings2122. The structure is such that the open tube end is enclosed withinthe cap 18 and that the interior of said cap is in communication withsaid open tube endand also with the areas outside said cap through theopenings 20, 21 and 22. The passages 17 also alford communicatingpassages from the outside into the cap interior. I

The presence of the multiple selectively positioned openings andpassages in communication with the interior of the cap 18 providesopenings to admit saliva or water into the cap 18 and thus into the tube11, and also openings in communication with atmosphere. Thus, when thesaliva ejector is placed in the mouth of a patient, the saliva or waterwill rise to a level to submerge the open end of the tube portion 12.Because the entire inside of the cap, above the fluid level, is indirect communication with atmosphere, the atmospheric pressure on theliquid, both inside and outside of the cap, is equalized.

the flow of fluid to the tubing will continue through openings 21 andequalizing air is assured through the presence of openings 22 andpassages 17. n

The instant construction permits the extraction of saliva and water veryrapidly because high negative pressure can be used without fear oftissue clogging the ejector. The presence of atmospheric pressure abovethe saliva or water level does not detract from the efiiciency of thedevice because the inlet to the exhaust tube 11 is submerged normally inthe saliva or water, thelevel of which must become very low before aircan be drawn into the exhaust tube.

I claim:

An ejector for saliva or the like comprising an exhaust tube includingan open end portion, a fitting on said tube adjacent said end, acup-like cap telescoped over the open end tube portion and secured tosaid fitting, said fitting having air passages communicating with theinterior of said cap, said cap including an end wall spaced from the endof the tube, the end wall and the circumferential wall of the cap havingopenings to admit fluid into the cap, and the said circumferential wallhaving air openings therein above the normal level of liquid in saidcap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,595,666 Hutson May 6, 1952

